In order to get cooler and keep cool in Japan’s notorious summers, people are buying a wide range of portable electric fans, often with colorful styles, shapes or functions that have become a hot novelty item.
Stores selling these fans, some of which attach to the neck or wrist and are convenient, say these products are selling faster than last year, becoming the latest trend in how to deal with elevated temperatures.
While the fans were notably popular among younger women last year, it is also clear that deadly summer heat in Japan has prompted men and women of all ages to seek them for a blast of cool air.
“This year, it has become a norm in the Japanese summer to carry around portable fans to help fight off the heat,” Kazuyuki Yamada, a spokesman at Tokyu Hands Inc., said.
Tokyu Hands is experiencing a lot of growth during this season as sales of handheld portable fans have doubled year over year. By Aug. 8, the company’s stores nationwide had sold 180,000 units of the devices, which is three times more than in 2018.
Fans are sold in various styles and many function as a mobile battery charger, windows that can be adjusted to provide wind power and scent diffusers. Fans can also be folded and clipped onto bags or tables.
With a new product, the hottest item of the year is a personal fan with a belt that can be around your neck to regulate your temperature and help you keep cool.
“These new LED light sources, which were only introduced this year, can be used in the dark such as at the fireworks festivals,” Mr. Ross said. This technology will completely remove the need for wireless cameras in the future that typically heat up because of the lights that are shone on them from particular angles.
Interior goods retailer Franfran Corp. has developed new models of portable fans with reduced wind and less sound, and significantly more power after selling over 100,000 units in just six months over the summer last year. This year, it sold 600,000 units as of August 8th – nearly a six-fold increase from last year’s sales.
With their fans, consumers can accomplish tasks in a variety of settings. After taking a bath users cool food with the fan. Sometimes parents use the fan to offer their children a cool meal.
Despite being popularly overlooked, the portable fan trend is catching up to the success of the last few winter staples. In addition, personal preferences play a role in how comfortable we feel in regards to temperature. We take pride in our ability to adapt or change throughout the seasons, but this can be hard sometimes when we lack adequate space.
Retailers hope the fans will also be used by foreign visitors coming to Japan during the Rugby World Cup in September and the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics.
Following years of cultural interest in outdoor outings, such as camping and music festivals, more and more people are using portable fans. These fans can also be found at comic-related events called “Comiket.”
Japan has been experiencing extreme heat this summer that resembles temperatures from last summer. Many observation points nationwide logged temperatures of 35 C or above.
On July 29th, 57 people died due to heat-related issues in Japan. The number of people taken to hospitals tripled from the previous week’s 5,664 people to 18,347.
Last July, Kumagaya in Saitama Prefecture reached a new record high of 41.1 degrees Celsius.
